M'gann's Mistake
by IronicVeghead
Summary: M'gann thought what she was doing was right, was justified. So when Kaldur gets a new henchwoman, the thirst for revenge becomes all too sweet to ignore.The What-If fic that explores what the fandom has been dreading since everything recent came to pass. Spitfire, Post-Invasion.
1. The Storm

**This is part one out of probably three or four short chapters. I think I'm the first person to actually write a whole fic about this idea, but I know that everyone has entertained it for a while now. **

**So this is my version of what could occur (But probably not this dramatically). **

**Little note: This story has a LOT of point of view changes, I wanted to get this from as many angles as possible. Now _most_ of the time I have a break before changing POV, but there will be a few_ rare_ occurrences where I thought it worked and it wasn't nececcary to warn you. So I'm putting this as an FYI.**

* * *

M'gann pursed her lips in frustration, watching her teammates gather around the living room, and withholding her mind from reading farther into the emotions swirling around the room.

They'd just returned from a rather eventful mission; though no one had suspected just _how_ eventful it would be. They had arrived at an airport in the dead of night in order to gather Intel on a deal that was rumored to occur. But it was unclear on who the dealers were going to be, so it became all hands on deck.

Even Wally had joined, despite everyone's feeble attempts to dissuade him from coming. She'd already wished he hadn't.

Now she didn't know what to think.

* * *

M'gann could still see bags under his eyes and the way his shoulders drooped, it hadn't changed from when she had last seen him a few months ago at the cave.

_When he had punched Nightwing. _

At the time it had been only a couple weeks since Artemis's death. Wally had come to the cave and said nothing as he passed his friends, ignoring everyone as he searched. Eventually the speedster came across the person he was evidently looking for, his best friend. And still without saying a word, punched him right across the jaw. M'gann had flown over to break up the fight, but there was no fight to break up. Nightwing had taken the hit with a grim face, and Wally merely stated "You know what that's for," and then left. The Martian had helped up Nightwing after the redhead left, and he had said nothing. Only rubbing his jaw and going back to work on the computer. No one said anything about the dark bruise that arose.

M'gann had tried to comfort the speedster, even flying to his apartment in Palo Alto to try and get him to talk. Wally had let her in and offered her the standard host necessities, but the state of the rooms had not gone past the Martian. Artemis had always kept their apartment in a decent state of cleanliness, but Wally had given up. She could sense that his mind was a wreck even without delving into it.

And in fact, when she had tried, the redhead had verbally lashed out at her. M'gann had merely wanted to soothe him; to relax his conscious some, maybe assist him in getting a few nights of decent sleep. But the moment Wally had felt her mind's touch, he'd yelled at her to stay out. She'd left shortly after that, understanding that nothing but time could possibly fix her friend. M'gann remembered what it was like to lose Conner, but that had only been a break up. She couldn't possibly imagine what it must be like for Wally. To have Artemis ripped from his grasp, after they had become each other's life.

Even though Wally didn't come around again until the mission, he and Artemis continued to be on everyone's mind. M'gann could easily tell by the somber emotions filtering through the cave's halls. So it was a surprise when Wally had arrived and announced that he would be joining in on the mission. M'gann had been told by Nightwing that Barry had requested that Wally not be put on duty until told otherwise. His uncle was concerned for the redhead's mental condition, not that he would voice his exact worries. But M'gann could read between the lines. Barry was worried Wally would take a mission specifically for the reason of giving his _all_.

But Wally had convinced Nightwing to let him join in_. How?_ M'gann wasn't sure, but she resolved to watch the speedster a bit closer.

It wasn't until the villains showed up at the airport that M'gann thought she understood why Wally was so adamant on joining in.

Kaldur was there.

The Martian felt her blood boil at the sight of him. Her former teammate, former _friend_; walking calmly across the tarmac to meet Lex Luthor as the billionaire descended the steps from his private jet. And there was someone else with him. A woman M'gann had never seen before; dressed in black and dark orange.

"_That's Tigress,"_ Nightwing's voice arose in everyone's minds. "_Kaldur's right hand woman, she's been hiding in the shadows before now, but she goes everywhere with him."_

"_Probably his girlfriend,"_ Wondergirl added, the anger everyone was feeling was obvious in her tone.

"_Then she's mine,"_ Wally growled.

It _would_ be justice. M'gann reasoned. And if Wally couldn't get to her, maybe _she _could. So far, most of M'gann's thoughts since Artemis's murder had been on revenge. Kaldur needed to pay for what he had done. _The traitor_. What he had taken away from all of them; because hadn't he done enough by leaving them? No, M'gann supposed he thought not.

But taking away someone from him; like he had taken Artemis from them. _That _would be better than revenge. _Much _better. Surely even Conner couldn't dispute that.

"_No one move yet,"_ Nightwing informed everyone. M'gann looked around, remembering where everyone was placed.

Nightwing had slipped around to hide behind one of the wheels of the jet. Blue Beetle was behind a wing. Cassie was at the edge of the tarmac, by a utility truck. Wally was crouched in the grass at the edge of the pavement. Bumblebee was fluttering about with Cassie. Conner was behind the baggage cart. And M'gann herself was camouflaged by the limo that had driven Kaldur and Tigress up.

Whenever Nightwing gave the signal, the team would be ready.

"_There's more people in the jet,"_ Conner said, suspicion lacing his voice.

"_Remember, we're here for the transferred object,"_ Nightwing stated.

Well. That's what _he_ thought. M'gann knew that she and Wally had different plans. She narrowed her eyes as Luthor had Mercy bring out a hardcover suitcase from the jet. _Target number one_. Her fingers twitched in anticipation as it was handed over to Kaldur, her eyes refocusing on the black haired woman next to him. _Target number two._ She thought to herself.

* * *

Conner was _not_ whelmed.

Everyone was on edge, even Nightwing, and he felt like he was babysitting a group of potential murderers.

Because maybe he _was_.

Artemis had died. Conner knew what it felt like to have a piece of your heart ripped out. He'd had it happen before. With Luthor's surprise all those years ago and with M'gann's betrayal of trust.

But neither of those things had even seemed so _final,_ so _permanent,_ as it felt to stand in front of one of his best friends and not be able to hear her heartbeat. Artemis had been a sister to him. They used to share their anger issues and enjoy the static channel together.

And Kaldur had _killed_ her. It had changed _everything_.

The clone had still had hope for his lost friend, hope that it was a ploy, hope that he would change his mind. But he had murdered Artemis. There was no returning from that.

Conner had already been concerned for M'gann's actions, the way she had settled into casually destroying the minds of their enemies. With Artemis's death, he could see an even deeper change in the Martian. And it disturbed him.

M'gann was going to be after Kaldur, she wouldn't hesitate to attack his psyche. Conner considered it his job to stop her.

But then Wally joined in.

Wally; who lost the love of his life; his other half. Who Barry didn't want going on missions for fear of the speedster inadvertently committing suicide. Conner had to watch _him _too.

And _then _there was Nightwing. Who had made sure everyone knew that Kaldur was _his_ to deal with.

_Everyone_ on his old team was now either a villain, deceased, or a liability.

It was a lot to think about; to handle.

"_EVERYONE; MOVE,"_ Nightwing ordered as Luthor and Kaldur began taking steps away from each other.

The team converged, the heroes leaping, running, and flying from their hiding spots towards the villains. Kaldur and Tigress immediately took defensive stances against the oncoming attacks while Luthor put his fingers to his lips and blew a loud two fingered whistle.

And suddenly more enemies were pouring out of the jet. _Just _like Conner had worried about.

Black Spider, Hook, Glimmer, Icicle Jr., and Abra Kadabra.

_Damn_. Conner mentally cursed.

"_Gamma, take on the lackeys,"_ Nightwing commanded through the link as he lunged at Kaldur.

The freshmen did as they were told, gathering the attention of the newly appeared villains and spreading out the battlefield to make things easier. Alpha had the main targets, and Conner _wished_ that M'gann wasn't on Alpha squad. But she was. Alpha was Nightwing, Kid Flash, Superboy, and Miss Martian.

A split second after Nightwing attacked Kaldur, Wally had launched himself at Tigress. Conner didn't have time to help either of them, however.

Luthor was ushering Mercy back into the jet, attempting to get away.

"_M'gann! We need to stop the jet!"_ He caught the Martian's attention, his heart beating faster as he saw the way her arm had been raised in preparation for a mental attack. She turned to him and he wasted no time jumping onto a wing to rip at an engine.

M'gann flew in front of the aircraft, her arms spread wide and her eyes glowing as she mentally tore at the control panels in the cockpit. Conner glanced up for a moment to check on the rookies, smiling a bit when he saw that they seemed to be holding up decently well. The heroes working together in order to pair themselves up in the most beneficially strategic ways.

"_The plane isn't going anywhere,"_ M'gann communicated icily, flying back towards their friends.

Conner frowned in concern at what her actions were going to be as he followed, pausing briefly at the door to the jet and crunching the metal together to block the exit.

That's when he heard it.

The clone wasn't sure he'd actually heard the correct thing.

But as he continued to jump over to where Nightwing, Kaldur, Wally, and Tigress were, he heard another strange thing.

"_I miss you too…"_ It was soft. Very soft, but his super hearing picked it up.

"How could you do that to her!" Nightwing growled, his escrima sticks locked with Kaldur's water swords.

Conner cut out the sound of Kaldur's response when his hearing picked up Wally's voice, _"Come home,"_

The clone stopped in his tracks when he heard Tigress speak, "Soon, Babe." His mouth fell agape, he was still a ways away, but he could hear it clearly. The inflection of the tones, the spoken softness. It was much too _familiar_.

And then he saw M'gann. One hand perched against her temple while the other reached out towards Tigress and Kid Flash, her eyes beginning to mesh into a glowing green state of transfixion.

And it didn't matter whether or not something strange was up with _Tigress_, because this was _M'gann_, doing something she _shouldn't_. So damn right Conner was angry; and damn right he was going to try and stop it. Because _no one_ deserved what she had been doing to people. Revenge or not. That's not how justice worked in their team.

So he yelled.

He yelled and he ran.

"M'gann! _NO!_"

But the Martian ignored his shout, her face turning grim as she caught Kaldur's attention, her eyes, hand, and mind still fixed on Tigress, "_THIS_ IS FOR ARTEMIS!"

* * *

**Please leave a review to let me know what you think!**

** I'll likely be posting chapter 2 tomorrow. **

_**Love, Veg**_


	2. The Aftermath

**Welcome to chapter 2! I'm very proud of you all for making it past that very mean cliffhanger from the first chapter! **

**So without further adeu:**

* * *

Wally wasn't aware whether or not he was breaking cover.

His own actions weren't controlled by his conscious mind.

One second he was flirting with Artemis in her villain costume, and the next her eyes went wide and she collapsed. The speedster caught her easily, falling to his knees to cradle her shoulders in his arms and support her neck, only looking up for a moment when he noticed that Superboy had tackled M'gann to the tarmac.

"What have you done to her?" Kaldur spoke harshly, briskly walking over to stand between the two women on the ground and leveling his water sword against the redhead's neck. Nightwing quickly placed himself behind Kaldur, holding a syringe to his neck, but Wally knew that it was only for show, only so that the two could stand together to confront M'gann.

For what she had done to Artemis, without even knowing it was one of her best friends.

Wally's heart constricted as he gazed down at his lover, his emotions so _vast _that he felt himself growing numb to handle the pain. Artemis's eyes were open, she looked terrified, but she was unconscious. The speedster had already tried pinching her a few times.

"Conner!" M'gann snarled at the clone holding her to the pavement, "Let me _go_!"

"Not until you fix her!" He answered gravely, his cold gaze darting to meet Kaldur's narrowed eyes, "She attacked Tigress's psyche," Conner explained with a growl, turning once again on his ex-girlfriend as the other heroes looked on with shock and confusion, "Tell me M'gann, did I stop you in time? Tell me there's still something left!"

"Conner!" The Martian screeched.

Wally knew that M'gann could escape his grasp if she really wanted, but it wasn't about strength of muscle. Something had happened; something _big_. Something Artemis had gotten caught in the middle of. The redhead looked to make sure no one was watching before slipping a hand into Artemis's grip, the other discretely pulling some hair away from her face. His motions still felt mechanical, his mind was telling him this wasn't real.

Artemis was still safe. Maybe this was just a dream. They'd never calculated that she would get hurt by one of her own _teammates_. Nothing this bad, though he had no idea _how_ bad it was.

So obviously it was a dream.

"She's a bad guy!" M'gann defended, her hands balling into fists as she tilted her head up to look for assistance from Nightwing. But Nightwing was staring at Artemis with an open mouth, his stunned expression easily showing through the domino mask.

"Does she still have a mind!" Conner asked louder, his gaze jumping over to Tigress every once and awhile, his eyes lingering on Wally.

The speedster hoped he didn't get suspicious with the way he was holding her. Artemis was supposed to be a villain. Would Kid Flash hold a villain like this? Wally didn't think he ever had, or would feel inclined to. Then the words Conner had spoken sunk in.

"Still have a _mind_?" He reiterated, his green eyes widening.

"Will she awake?" Kaldur snarled, and Wally didn't think it was acting. If he didn't feel so numb himself, he might act the same way.

"She will," Nightwing cut in quickly, his eyebrows scrunching up his mask as he looked to M'gann, still trapped under Conner's hold, "Won't she?"

Wally thought it was a stupid question. Of course she would. She's _Artemis_. She just needed to sleep it off, like a bump to the head.

M'gann huffed and shoved Conner none-too-lightly away, the clone relented with a sour look, not moving too far from the green-skinned girl as she stood, "I think it's repairable, but I _won't_ fix it. I didn't do it on accident," She spoke venomously.

"You _must,_" Kaldur said gravely, pushing his sword closer to Wally's neck.

"Try me," M'gann growled, her eyes glowing green once more and a smirk grew across her face.

Wally only had time to open his mouth in protest before Conner was pressing upon M'gann's neck and she was falling backwards into the clone's arms, passed out.

"I don't know what's going on here," Conner glared at the three men in front of him, "But I know this isn't clear black and white territory. And whatever _gray area crap_ you guys have going on is going to have to be put on hold," He shifted M'gann more comfortably into his arms, "M'gann and J'onn are the only ones who can possibly fix what M'gann did to her," He nodded toward Tigress, still being held delicately in Wally's arms, "So she'll need to come with us," Conner was speaking only to Kaldur now.

"I…" Kaldur let out a sigh, "I understand…" He looked towards Artemis with knotted eyebrows and lowered the sword from Wally's neck.

Wally was a bit surprised to find that it had still been there, keeping track of it hadn't been very high on his priority list.

"Run, Kal," Nightwing spoke softly, his head bowed in defeat, "Tigress has essentially been _kidnapped_,"

Wally watched with mixed emotions as Kaldur ran off towards Luthor's jet where the billionaire was still trapped inside, knowing that the Atlantean would make up some story about how he was overwhelmed by the team and Tigress had been taken unconscious.

"C'mon Wally," Dick said, gesturing for the redhead to follow Conner and him back to the bioship.

Wally stood up with shaky legs, carefully maneuvering Artemis into his arms so that it wasn't how he used to hold her; making sure not to pull her tight against his chest like he normally would have done.

His mind was at odds with himself.

Artemis was in his arms, _right_ where he'd been wishing she could be for the past few months. But she wasn't safe. M'gann had done something to her, something dangerous. And Wally still couldn't show her the affection he so _desperately_ needed to release. To kiss her and pull her to his chest and murmur _I love you _into her ear while she _giggled_ because he _knew_ that made her ticklish.

Instead he had to carry her platonically to the Bioship because her mind had been damaged. He had to pretend that she was _nothing_ to him. Pretend that the love of his life wasn't merely a _breath_ away and that he was still angry.

And while he was a bit upset at what M'gann had done. He didn't quite understand everything yet.

The only aspect that registered was Artemis.

Just her.

With nothing else attached.

It was all he wanted his mind to handle.

Just _seeing_ her.

Because beyond that was a wall of self-loathing; where he was withholding the anguish that tore his heart into two distinct, _selfish_ pieces. One side that was grateful Artemis was back in their care, and almost fucking _grateful_ she was hurt enough to steal away. And one side that wished she hadn't been hurt, that wished she'd gone again with the fucking _villains_, if only to be safe from her own _team._

And then his heart ached in one beating, painful mass, as the truth laid heavy on his mind.

That if-_when_- M'gann fixed her.

She'd be gone again.

* * *

Conner ignored the questions from the many heroes he passed on the way to the secure room Tigress was being kept in.

He had some questions for his friends, although most of them had turned into _needs-confirmation_. He was pretty sure he knew what was happening, but it seemed so ridiculous that he couldn't believe it yet.

The clone had left M'gann with J'onn. He didn't think he'd ever seen her so angry, never at least at _himself_. But someone had to know what she had done, and with J'onn nearby, he could kill two birds with one stone.

Inform her uncle about her actions, and let him know there would be a job for him to do.

And after lots of lies and accusations to muddle through, J'onn finally understood the truth.

Well, part of the truth.

Conner was on his way to figure out the rest of it, and he knew _exactly_ where he would find the two men he was looking for.

"Open up you two," He ordered, banging his fist on the door to the room that might as well been a vault it was so tightly secure.

The heavy metal door opened a crack and Wally's bright green eye popped into view.

"What's the password?"

Conner resisted the temptation to roll his eyes. Wally was trying to diffuse the situation, but Conner was having none of that and leaned down to glare through the crack in the doorway.

"_Artemis,_" He spoke lowly, a hint of a challenge in his voice.

Nightwing opened the door the rest of the way, allowing Conner to step in before it was shut securely behind him.

The room was light gray everywhere, the concrete and metal on the walls, floors, and ceiling contrasting starkly with the colors worn on the occupants of the room. Wally wearing some bright red college hoodie, Tigress in her bright orange and grey costume, and Nightwing in his deep black and vibrant blue.

"Are you going to explain everything?" Conner started, his gaze turning to Nightwing as Wally sat himself on the side of the bed Tigress was laying on, "Or do I actually have to _ask_ the questions,"

The heartbeat monitor was the only sound for a few moments before Nightwing spoke up, his hands running up and through his hair in exhaustion as he sat down in a chair placed by the bed, "This has been a plan in action for _years_ now," He started, "We thought through _everything_. But this has thrown us off course,"

"How many are in on it?" Conner asked quietly, quelling the hurt that arose from the knowledge that his friends didn't trust him with such a large scheme.

"Just the four of us," Nightwing answered, "Me, Wally, Kaldur, and…" His voice trailed off, his head turning to stare at Tigress.

Wally was already looking at the woman and sighed before removing her mask, "Artemis," The redhead breathed, closing his eyes and leaning down to press a light kiss to her forehead before pressing his nose affectionately to her cheek.

"The charm on her necklace alters her appearance," Nightwing explained, "To everyone but the four of us in on it,"

And so the story continued. Nightwing telling most of it while every once and a while Conner would speak up to ask a question or two. Until soon enough, the clone was up to speed and it was his turn to talk.

"M'gann's done this before," Conner spoke seriously, his heavy gaze on 'Artemis's' form, his mind still processing the fact that one of his closest friends was alive, "But I think I stopped her before the real damage was done,"

"What usually happens?" Wally inquired, his eyes still glued to his love.

"They turn into vegetables," Conner sighed, remembering the multiple victims M'gann had gotten to before, "She rips through their minds for information and she isn't careful about it. She'll break every memory and every thought as she goes; and when she's done there's nothing left. Everything is too _broken_ to work,"

"She said she could fix it," Wally muttered, his grip tight on Artemis's limp hand.

"M'gann would figure out its Artemis if she delved into her mind to repair it," Nightwing groaned, "And I'm not sure I trust her to repair it in the first place," He frowned, upset with the newfound information that one of his friends had become a mind-murderer.

"J'onn could help," Conner offered, "He might even keep the secret,"

Nightwing considered the thought, understanding that _yes_ Conner had grown to know J'onn well in the past many years, so the super could be right in his predictions.

And they had no choice.

Secret or not, Artemis needed help.

The leader nodded to Conner before the two raven haired boys turned to look at Wally, who wasn't paying any attention.

The speedster had curled up beside Artemis and fallen asleep without their notice. His head rested in the crook of her neck and his arms wrapped securely around her torso, pulling her close to his side.

And he looked _peaceful_.

Nightwing hadn't seen Wally relaxed since the moment Artemis had left. And all it took was an hour or two in her presence,_ unconscious_ presence even, and the redhead was sleeping dreamlessly away. He knew that Wally hadn't been getting much sleep, mostly based on the disgruntled texts he'd receive in the middle of the night when the speedster didn't have his archer to cuddle with. That was when Dick would receive the _nastiest_ texts.

"I'll bring J'onn back with me in a few hours," Conner said quietly, heading towards the door.

"I'll keep watch," Nightwing supplied helpfully, sitting once again in his chair and pulling up his holographic computer for company.

But the small device couldn't distract his mind and soon he was rubbing at his face in anguish.

Guilt tore at him.

His best friends, in _love_, and he ripped them away from each other in the name of justice.

He was supposed to be the leader of his team. And M'gann had apparently been shredding the minds of their enemies for some time.

Dick wished that he had a mirror that would tell him that he wasn't himself.

That he could look at his reflection and have an _excuse_ for all of this.

But he didn't, because he was the one making the decisions. He was the one putting others at risk.

Maybe he wasn't as different from Batman as he thought…

* * *

**This slowly turned into The-Fic-Where-Veg-Does-A-Bunch-Of-Character-Insights. **

**Please leave a review!**

_**Love, Veg**_


	3. Tigress

**Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews! Here is chapter 3!**

* * *

"_Tigress…"_

"_Tigress…!" _

"_Tigress!" _

"TIGRESS!"

The black haired woman awoke with a start, her dark eyes darting around to find the source of the noise.

"Tigress the sub!" One of Black Manta's henchmen called from the door to her room, Tigress sat up quickly, hearing the blaring alarms from the hallway, "It's sinking! Everyone is evacuating!"

"Right," She nodded, waving for the man to leave as she strapped her weapons to her side; pausing when she noticed her wrist was itching terribly. Tigress pulled back her glove to check for a rash, but was surprised to find nothing there, so she rubbed at the skin a bit and went back to work.

The villain closed the door behind her as she left, gracefully dodging through the crowd of henchmen and workers on her way to Kaldur's room. She guessed that he wouldn't be there, but nonetheless, she needed to check.

Tigress pulled the door open without knocking, pursing her lips as she took in the desolate room. Kaldur had left; she found it strange that he didn't come to find her. Though she supposed their relationship didn't go both ways. She was hired to protect _him_, not the other way around.

The alarms continued to shriek, red lights flashed through the hallway as the villainess shoved through the crowd. She knew that she needed to get to the diving suits; her human physiology would get her crushed if she tried to bust out without it. Luckily the suits were near the emergency underwater exit.

She just hoped there would be one left.

Tigress growled at a fellow passenger when the men started getting too close, the hallways more crowded. Her senses became alarmed as she recognized the growing panic in the atmosphere and realized what had happened.

They'd closed off this section of the sub.

Someone had decided to cut their losses and run.

There would be no way to escape now.

"This way Tigger," A man's voice spoke close to her ear, his hand gently tugging on her upper arm.

"It's _Tigress_," She corrected, frowning at the henchman who was pulling her along. Where? She didn't know. But she didn't have any ideas, so whatever _his_ was had to be better than nothing.

The raven haired woman eyed her leader carefully, trying to see through the dark glass of his helmet, but it was a lost cause.

"Where are we going?" She spoke sternly, the underlying threat clear in her tone.

"You've got to find a way out, Babe," His voice was muffled from the helmet, but seemed strangely…_kind_.

It was _not_ the kind of voice one would hear on Black Manta's ship.

"Who are you?" Tigress questioned, noticing that the two of them had made their way to a more unoccupied area of the sinking submarine, she couldn't tell what his plan of escape could possibly be.

"That's a good question, Babe," The man paused and let go of her arm in order to pull the helmet off of his head, "Maybe you should be asking yourself that," He tossed the helmet to the side before grinning widely at her.

Tigress glared at the henchman with confusion, her eyebrows drawing together as she tried to place the man before her. He was pale with wild red hair and vibrantly green eyes, and his _smile_. She didn't think she'd ever seen anyone smile like that. And he'd said something odd, too.

"I'm _Tigress_. We've been over that," She snapped, looking around for a reason they would be stopped but finding none.

"But that's not who you _really_ are," He shook his head, turning to head down another hallway and motioning for her to follow, "But when you figure it out, let me know,"

Tigress thought this man was ridiculous. They needed to find a way _out_, not stop and converse over _names_.

Because he was _wrong_ anyway; she's Tigress.

She's the badass henchwoman to Kaldur.

What else _was_ there?

* * *

Wally watched helplessly from the corner of the room as Dick let J'onn and Conner into Artemis's cell.

He couldn't _believe_ they had to put her in a _cell_. She's _comatose_.

But everyone else still believes her to be an enemy, so in the cell she went.

His mind was still frazzled; he'd expected it to be simple. Fight a bit, flirt with his dead girlfriend (maybe even sneak in a kiss or two), and escape with the goods.

But then M'gann had to go and attack her, brain blast her for _revenge_.

Wally was pretty sure he missed something, because last he checked, the good guys didn't do hardcore revenge. Not to mention tearing people's minds apart.

_God_ he hoped she was okay.

J'onn walked up to the bed slowly, his eyes beginning to glow, and Wally almost wished he would figure it out.

Wished he would notice it was Artemis, tell the Justice League, and the whole damn thing would be over.

But he also knew that Artemis would want to finish what she started. He'd tried everything, but he couldn't talk the blonde out of it. And he knew she would hate herself if she had to back out before she'd gotten any good out of it.

Because so far Artemis and him had only given to this plan; given their lifestyle, their safety, their peace of mind, and each other.

Wally supposed he would be disappointed some too if they didn't get any compensation for what they'd put into this. He'd be slightly upset if they didn't put at least one criminal behind bars for their efforts.

But he wouldn't be _really_ bothered.

Because they were doing this for justice.

And he loved Artemis _more_ than he wanted justice.

"First can you tell us if it's even repairable?" Nightwing spoke up, knocking Wally out of his somber thoughts and back into reality.

The reality that his girlfriend's mind might have been shredded apart beyond repair.

_God_ his heart ached.

J'onn's eyes lost their green hue and he turned to face the three heroes, "The damage is…not as extensive as what occurred to the Kroloteans," His voice was strained and Wally could tell it pained him to recognize that this was being done by his niece, "But…I cannot repair it,"

The speedster felt his heart drop; drop a _thousand _miles and plummet into a black hole.

"She's stuck like this?" Conner asked in disbelief, hoping J'onn wouldn't notice the way Wally was clenching his hands in his lap.

"Of that I am not so certain," The Martian spoke easily, calm as ever, "Her most recent memories have been…torn," He said slowly, searching for the right word, "I cannot fix it because I do not know what they are rightfully supposed to be,"

"So…It's possible to fix?" Nightwing questioned, hope sneaking into his intonations.

J'onn nodded and turned to look at Tigress once more, "Her will seems very strong and I sensed that her mind is straining to right itself," His gaze left Artemis as he continued explaining, "Given time, she may put her mind back together on her own. Whether or not she succeeds depends on if her mind can repair itself before her body relents to the coma,"

Conner crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes as he decoded the Martian's words, "So…what you're saying…is that Tigress _might_ be fine, as long as she gets cracking,"

"But the longer it takes her…" Nightwing added slowly.

"The less chance she has to wake up," Wally whispered, his eyes trained on his lap.

J'onn looked among the three men curiously, "Precisely," He nodded, "If you need me…" He started.

"Thank you," Nightwing spoke up quickly, sincerely, "Thank you J'onn," The hero amended, speaking at a normal pace.

The Leaguer nodded politely before floating out of the room, phasing through the wall instead of opening the door.

The silence was deep, each male turning in on their own thoughts for a moment.

But Wally was the first to speak up.

"She'll make it out of this," His voice was a bit hoarse, but he supposed it was normal given the fact that he'd barely drunk anything in the past four hours.

"I think so too," Conner said, looking to Nightwing for conformation on his thoughts, both verbal and nonverbal.

Nightwing caught the clone's gaze and nodded, "Yeah. Hey Wally we're gonna get something to eat,"

"Okay," Wally's response was immediate and uninterested.

The two raven haired men briefly shared a look before quietly leaving the room, both understanding that the speedster needed to be alone. And yet not alone.

Wally just needed Artemis.

* * *

"Is this the control room?" Tigress asked, her eyes widening as she and the redheaded man entered a room with buttons and screens galore.

"Yeah, Babe," He grinned, rushing over to sit at a swivel chair and starting to type, "We can definitely find a way out here,"

"Quit calling me babe," Tigress huffed, sitting down in another chair and pressing a button to get access to a screen.

"Why not?" He laughed, "You're my Babe,"

The woman shot him an aggravated look, "No I'm _not_,"

"Whatever Babe, find anything yet?" He turned to grin at her and the villainess was once again blow away by the magnitude in his smile.

She shook her head because her mouth seemed to be rebelling, her hand absentmindedly scratching at her wrist.

"Try this," He suggested, reaching over her to tap a few keys, his face halting merely an inch away and his messy hair tickling her forehead.

Tigress sucked in a deep breath to regain control of her senses as he moved away, shocked to find that she was suddenly very…_cold_.

The man looked at the door they had shut tightly behind them, his face growing serious for once, "The water is going to reach us soon; we need to find our exit,"

The black haired woman tuned into the screen, surprised to find _all_ of them suddenly working, showing video of combat, combat between people she'd never seen before, "What did you do?" She breathed, fighting the niggling sense that something was _wrong_.

"This should speed things up a bit," The man explained, his fingers whirling across the keyboard at alarming speeds, "Take a closer look, Babe, the key to freedom is in there,"

Tigress didn't know _what_ this insane man was going on about, but she could hear the creaking and groaning from the metal around them, signaling the ship's demise. He was her only hope, so she had to take a leap of faith.

The villainess squinted as she gazed at the various screens, she had been wrong before, only some of the monitors held battle clips. Some of them seemed to be just boring daily life, mostly of a blonde woman and…

"You're in these," Tigress whipped her head around to confront the redheaded man.

But he was gone.

Any further shout outs died in her throat and she blinked a few times to be sure.

He was really gone.

But Tigress didn't know _where_ he could have gone to. The door was still shut, and the room was small, there were no places to hide.

The room shifted and the woman gripped onto the chair to keep herself stable.

The sub was still sinking.

And while Tigress's heartbeat raced at the prospect of eminent death, she found herself leaning closer to those _damn_ screens.

Watching the blonde haired woman and the redheaded man like her life depended on it.

* * *

**Please leave a review! **

**Okay, so I REALLY hope to keep up the one-update-a-day trend, but it's possible there might be a day-long wait for the next chapter. **

**I thought I had everything planned out and it was nearly finished (which is why I started posting, because I don't start posting until I'm close enough to the end to taste it, or just completely finished already). But my plans changed and now things are going at a bit slower pace than I anticipated. **

**But I'm working really hard and I know where I'm going with the ending now, so we SHOULD be good as long as I'm not having to work overtime at work. **

_**Love, Veg**_


	4. Shock

**Phew! I managed to make some time and finish this chapter! So here we go!**

* * *

M'gann sat on her bed in the cave, her arms wrapped around her middle and her head tucked to her chin.

The game was up.

She'd been dreading getting caught since the moment it started, since the first alien she'd done it to. She'd tried to be relatively sneaky about it, tried to skirt around the edges to keep her secret.

Tried to convince herself and Conner that it wasn't a bad thing to do.

M'gann thought about it a bit longer, turning the dreaded aspect over and over before finally accepting it.

If it wasn't wrong, why had she been so scared of others finding out?

The Martian held herself a little tighter as she came to the conclusion she'd been running from.

She'd turned into a monster.

With Conner it had been personal. She _knew_ that had been wrong right away. But she'd been so _desperate_ not to lose him, not to have him tell and take away this wonderful solution she'd discovered.

So she convinced herself it was personal. That Conner was just mad at _her,_ not what she was _doing_.

But the look on J'onn's face...

Nightwing...

Wally...

M'gann knew it all along, but when everyone else looked at her like that.

Like she was a _monster_.

There were no excuses to hide behind.

No justification that would withstand judgment.

M'gann sat up straight, her eyes landing on the bedroom door.

She needed to find Conner.

She needed to apologize.

The Martian floated to the door and entered the hallway, pausing to concentrate on the minds of the people in the cave, searching for him. She sensed the location of beings first, secondly focusing on who each mind belonged to.

_Jaime._

_Gar._

_J'onn. _

_Mal. _

_Nightwing._

_Wally._

_Conner._

"_Conner! I need to talk to you,"_ She spoke mentally to the clone, heading in his direction.

"_What do you want?"_ His thoughts were frustrated, stressed.

"_I need to apologize to you, in person. I understand now, and I want to explain everything to you,"_ The Martian held her breath, waiting for confirmation.

"_You know where I am,"_ He responded curtly.

She couldn't resist a smile, hope blooming at the thought of renewing her friendship with the super. But when she stretched her mind out to double check his location, her powers caught notice of something very, _very _wrong.

M'gann suddenly withdrew a shuddering breath, her hands flying to her temples as she shut her eyes tight.

_Artemis._

It had to be a mistake.

The green skinned girl flew in the direction she'd sensed Artemis's mind, trying to explain away the occurrence of her dead friend's conscious.

_Maybe her mind is lingering, connected to Wally's_… She reasoned, having located that the 'Artemis' mind was near the speedster.

But as M'gann drew nearer, she lightly pressed with her psyche against the strange sense of Artemis's mind. And found that it was normal.

Normal for someone who was _alive._

And as she turned the last corridor, she realized where her senses were leading her.

And she finally made the connection.

"No…" M'gann breathed, her levitation failing her as she slowly lowered to the floor, her eyes wide, "_Artemis…"_ She held her head in her hands.

"_What have I done!"_ She shouted in anguish, dropping to her knees as her legs refused to hold her up.

The Martian barely heard the scuttle that arose from her cries, she didn't notice the familiar faces and hands trying to help her, guide her to her room, a couch, anywhere.

"Artemis…" M'gann whimpered, pulling Gar close as his arms had wrapped tightly around her middle.

"Sis, what's wrong?" The boy spoke for everyone surrounding the woman, their uneasy hands reaching out to comfort her.

"It's Artemis…She's _alive_," A splash of hysteric wonder tinted her voice, "She's alive and I almost _killed _her!"

M'gann choked on her tears before straightening, "Where's Uncle J'onn! I need to tell him! Where's Conner!"

"I'm right here," Conner's voice sounded by her ear. She turned, startled to realize that she was surrounded by the worried faces of her teammates.

"As am I," J'onn floated into the hallway, a hand held to his head, "Your emotions gave me quite a shock, M'gann," Worried somehow seemed to float in his pupil-less eyes, "What is the matter?"

M'gann opened her mouth to explain what had occurred but Conner interrupted her with a suggestion to move to the living room where it was more comfortable. The woman nodded mutely and let J'onn and Gar help her as the group made their way to the couches. Nightwing shot the super a grateful look when no one would see.

Their cover was about to be blown wide open, and Nightwing needed as much time as he could to either think of a ploy, or prepare for a reveal.

No one paid any mind when the acrobat slipped away down another corridor.

* * *

Tigress gripped the edge of the desk tightly, her brows furrowed in concentration.

The more she looked at these people, the more she felt…_lost._

A sharp bang rang out and the raven haired woman turned quickly in her chair, expecting water and a slow death.

But the water was only in the hallway. She could hear it rushing past the door, the metal groaning under its weight and pressure. She didn't have long.

Soon the water would crush the door to the room; the only door. There would be no escaping.

Tigress took a few deep breaths to try and calm her rising heartbeat, the fear of death lingering on the edge of her mind. She turned to face the screens, to distract herself from the bending metal walls. The faces of the heroes (or at least, that's what she thought they were) had features that she could predict.

Something within her was predicting what each of them would do next, as if she had been studying them for years and not the short time she'd been locked in the control room.

Tigress bit back a curse when the floor shifted farther, her chair skidding a few inches to the side. The lights flickered for a moment and she listened in muted horror as the sound of crackling electricity bounced around behind the walls.

The screens faded and jumped on and off.

And suddenly Tigress was face to face with her reflection in the dark glass.

A reflection she recognized.

But did not associate with her own face.

Tigress lifted a hand to the darkened screen, touching her finger to the cold glass and tracing the reflection of the blonde woman's face.

_Her face. _

The screens continued flickering and Tigress darted her eyes around, desperate to catch as much as she could.

The blonde woman was_ her_?

_She _was the blonde woman?

And then she remembered the redheaded man. The one that lead her here, called her _Babe._

Her grey eyes widened as she stood up, walking briskly along the desk full of screens to stare at the clips, her heart pounding.

_Artemis. _

Her name was Artemis.

* * *

Wally was awoken by the sound of Artemis's heartbeat monitor. The loud beeps growing louder as it warned the caretakers that its patient heart rate was too high.

"Babe?" He rasped, still half asleep as he propped himself up on the bed where he had curled into her side.

Artemis's eyes were moving fast under her eyelids and her breathing had turned into near hyperventilation. The redhead pulled an arm around her shoulder to hold her close as his free hand immediately went to her hair, carding his fingers through it and petting it back out of her face. It was what he would always do when she had a nightmare at home; what would calm her.

"Artemis!" He whispered, pressing his lips to her cheek a few times, "Babe, _please_," He begged, closing his eyes in concentration as he _willed_ her to calm.

Her fingers twitched against his abdomen so he gently removed his fingers from her hair and picked it up, holding her hand to his lips and kissing each of her digits and intertwining their fingers.

Wally leaned back down on the bed, his arm around her shoulder pulling back to draw his fingers lightly across her cheek. He dropped his head onto the pillow next to hers, his heart beginning to ache and strain from worry, "Artemis, Its Wally," He spoke into her ear, "Babe, _please _calm down, _please_ get through this,"

The speedster barely noticed when his voice grew higher, "Artemis _I love you_, don't leave me," He gripped her hand tighter and ignored the stinging in his eyes, the symptoms of oncoming tears, "Fight for me Beautiful,"

"Fight for _us_,"

* * *

**I know this chapter was a bit shorter, but I really wanted to stop it there...because I'm a terrible person. **

**My goal is to have the last chapter (the next one) up sometime tomorrow, but I can't promise it because I never know if I'll have to work late or something. **

**Please leave a review!**

**Love, Veg**


	5. Nightmares

**Thank you so much everyone for putting up with how long it took me to post this last chapter! I thought I was going to have time to finish writing it the day after I posted the chapter 4, but work was like_ LOL NOPE_. So I haven't had time to finish it until now! **

**I hope this was worth the wait, I worked quite hard on this. **

* * *

Nightwing returned to the living room after he'd sent a quick message to Kaldur, warning the Atlantean that Artemis's cover had been compromised, but that he would try to keep Kaldur's intact.

The acrobat was none too pleased to find that the group of heroes with M'gann had been joined by Batman. The dark knight was immediately attentive to his protégé's entrance, which Nightwing had _thought_ was sneaky enough.

However, Batman had become even more paranoid ever since he and the other Leaguer's had returned from their intergalactic court hearing a month before.

The rest of the group turned to stare apprehensively at the silent communication transpiring between the two bats.

But _evidently_ silence wasn't enough to convey what needed to be said, "You have some explaining to do," Batman's tone was grave.

"How did you find out?" Nightwing asked, choosing not to deny that he was wrapped up in a scheme. He knew that no one would have called him to the cave, which meant that Bruce had discovered this out on his own; _that_ interested the eighteen year old.

"I took a blood sample from Tigress," The vigilante stated.

_Oh._ Dick resisted the urge to grimace. He knew that was standard procedure with Batman, he _should_ have remembered and made a switch. Nightwing excused the slip due to Artemis's endangered health.

"How much do you all know already?" The acrobat asked.

He wondered how much he could salvage; just _how_ much trouble he would be in.

He reckoned he deserved it.

* * *

Artemis resisted the urge to pull her hair out, to scream and punch the walls until her hands bled.

She'd forgotten.

_How_ could she have forgotten?

The blonde turned with tight muscles to eye the door of her metal cage, the sound of water slapping against it echoed through the room. Tears teamed at the edges of her eyes. She didn't want to die.

Before she'd remembered, death had just been a niggling sense of an ending. A frustration.

Now her heart hammered against her chest and her mind screamed for her to find a way out.

To _survive_.

Tigress was a lie, a façade. But she was Artemis. And she needed to get back to Wally.

Artemis watched the screens desperately, willing herself to return to the surface, to her friends. She wondered how she'd gotten this way. _How had she forgotten?_ The blonde's thoughts turned to Kaldur; she hoped he had gotten out.

She figured he did; and she hoped he wouldn't feel guilt for her demise.

The archer reached up and ripped the charm off, throwing it to the floor where it shattered into a multitude of shards. Artemis didn't think her body would be found, but on the off chance it was, she wanted to be found as herself.

The lights flickered at a faster rate, the periods of power growing shorter and the pitch black making the sounds of imminent crushing demise more prominent. The blonde raced back to the screens, pressing her hands into the glass and getting so close to the pictures they began to blur into an annoyance of bright pixels.

Her eyes watered as she watched herself tussle with Wally in their apartment, the two of them rolling along the floor and playfully pinning each other to the rug while Nelson attempted to join in on the fun.

Suddenly the blonde remembered how she'd gotten there.

_Wally_.

Her lovable speedster had led the way; he'd even called her _Babe_.

_Why was he there? _

Artemis frowned and looked about the room, searching for answers in the shifting lights. Her eyes were continually drawn to the screens, and her newly questioning attitude opened up a new path for her mind to take.

The videos and clips that she'd been analyzing, there was absolutely _no way_ someone could have gotten them.

In fact, Artemis was sure that no one had even _taken_ the video. She would have known if someone had bugged there apartment. Dick came over to check it at least once a month through paranoia alone.

So none of this made any sense.

The archer briefly tossed the idea around that she was in a dream, or rather, a nightmare.

The first argument against that idea was the feel of it. Everything felt real.

But didn't dreams always feel real?

Artemis then found another flaw; she had noticed the strangeness. While having a dream, things that could normally be pointed out as impossible became part of the scenery, hardy and unquestionable.

So where _was_ she?

The blonde was knocked out of her thought process by the total absence of light. It wasn't hard to conclude that the power had finally given out.

But the ocean at the door continued to rage on.

Artemis groped around until she found the edge of the desk, carefully maneuvering her limbs around to check for other potential obstacles. She sat on the cold metal floor with little grace, feeling as though the fight within her had dwindled exponentially.

She didn't know if the groaning door was louder because the lights were out, or if it was just nearing its end, but Artemis imagined she didn't have much time left before it gave out.

The archer let her mind settle, refusing to stir up theories and questions on her predicament any longer.

Because it didn't matter; she was going to be crushed anyway.

Artemis had quickly grown cold from sitting on the metal floor, so the warm tears that began sliding silently down her cheeks couldn't go unnoticed. But she didn't really mind anyway, there was no one around to see her cry.

The act of dying didn't really frighten her; she figured it would be quick.

Leaving Wally frightened her.

Leaving behind her friends, her mother, her mentor, the precious life she'd managed to create from the crumbled pit of lies she'd been raised on.

Leaving _that_ frightened her.

The ship gave a final shuddering moan before she heard the door crack under the pressure.

Was it selfish to hope that she'd see Wally soon?

The metal splintered violently, pieces of the door banging into the far walls as the water rushed in. The roar of it deafened her and the chill of it turned her skin to ice.

Artemis felt very little as she was pulled into the turbulence, her body tossed into the equipment and walls as her bones snapped and her lungs filled with sea water.

Her thoughts filled with wishes as the grip of consciousness was stripped from her body.

She wished she'd see her friends again.

She wished she were back in Wally arms.

She wished she'd never taken that mission.

* * *

Wally was only mildly bothered by the tears that were soaking Artemis's hair, ones spurred on by his own heartache.

He was more concerned by the ones falling from the corners of her eyes.

"_Artemis,"_ He hoarsely whispered, his desperation clear, "Artemis _please_. I don't know what you're going through, what you're seeing. But please know that you're safe," Wally's voice cracked and he felt like he was lying to her, lying to himself.

The archer's heartbeat had leveled for a bit and Wally had been convinced she'd soon wake.

But it had begun to rise again a few minutes afterwards, spiking even higher than what it had been before and continuing to rise. The tears began flowing nearly just as fast.

Had Wally been in a collected state, he might have called for help, but as it was the speedster was weeping over a comatose villain who seemed to be having some sort of mental seizure.

The redhead's hands had lost their gentle touch as he became frantic, wanting to soothe his archer so desperately that he had begun to nearly crush her under the strength of his hold.

He felt so helpless. Artemis's heart fluttered rapidly in her chest and her eyes clenched tighter, her face scrunching up in pain. Wally continued to brush hair away from her face that was no longer there, all of it having been pushed back by the same actions already. He whispered pleas into her ear and reminded her why she had to wake up.

"Artemis you _have_ to wake up," He began, his eyes darting to the beeping machine that told him something was _very _wrong.

"You know I can't live without you,"

"And you haven't finished college yet. You told me how much that means to you,"

"Nelson cries at the door all night, he won't play with me,"

"Your Mom can tell that you're alive somehow, don't make her wrong,"

"Jade keeps leaving cryptic messages on the answering machine, I think she misses you and I don't think we fooled her either,"

"You haven't taught me how to pronounce _I love you_ in Vietnamese correctly yet,"

Artemis's heartbeat began to slow and Wally sat up once more to see that there were still tears falling from her closed eyes.

"_I love you_," He spoke gently, his touches softer once more as hope bloomed in his chest, "I love you _so much _Artemis, come back to me,"

Wally grinned when her heartbeat finally reached a normal pace, but his joy didn't last long.

It kept dropping.

And as Artemis's heart rate fell, Wally's rose. His panic returned as he remembered what J'onn had explained.

"_Whether or not she succeeds depends on if her mind can repair itself before her body relents to the coma,"_

The speedster wondered if she had given in, surrendered to whatever mental battle she was fighting. He hoped with all his heart that his Spitfire hadn't given up, but her heartbeat was much too low and if it continued dropping he feared there was no way to save her.

"Artemis you _need _to wake up now," Wally implored her, watching her eyelids in expectation and listening to the slow droning beeps that matched her heart.

He felt as though his heart matched her own perfectly, that when hers stopped beating, his would follow. Wally wondered if it was worrying that he hoped it _would_, because he couldn't imagine a world without Artemis.

A world without his spitfire.

It was _unthinkable_.

The beats steadied and Wally didn't notice he was holding his breath as the blonde's dark eyelashes began to flutter. He drew his face so close that he could feel her exhale, her stale breath colliding with the skin of his lips.

"Artemis," Wally whispered softly, brushing his fingers along her flushed cheeks to make her stir.

It worked.

The muscles of her face shifted beneath the skin, her nose twitching and her eyelids flickering.

And then her eyes opened.

The redhead didn't think he'd ever seen anything as _beautiful _as watching Artemis wake. Her grey eyes were unfocused and she squinted against the light, her mouth opening slightly.

"_Wally?"_ The archer's voice was hoarse as she questioned her vision, her lithe hand drifting upwards to delicately trace his face.

The speedster gave her a soft grin and leaned into her touch, "Hey Babe, I'm glad you're awake,"

Artemis frowned, confusion flooding her eyes, "But…How did I survive?"

"Conner stopped her before there was too much damage," Wally explained, a dejected look about his face.

"Conner? No…" The blonde shook her head, absently pushing some of the more wiry strands of red hair out of Wally's face as he leaned over her, "The sub, it was sinking," Her grey eyes grew wide as she recalled the disaster, "I was trapped. The _water_, Wally; the water crushed me," She leaned up to stare at her limbs, surprised to find them intact, "But…"

"Shhh…" Wally pressed a finger to her lips and kissed her temple, "You were trapped within your mind," He explained, making sure to keep their eyes locked in order to keep her grounded, "M'gann hit you with a harsh mental attack. You…" His throat swelled up as he remembered the state he'd been in before the archer had returned to consciousness, "We weren't sure the damage was repairable,"

Artemis said nothing as her fingers traced along the redhead's cheeks, having recognized the red tint in his eyes that she understood were the result of tears.

"I'm so glad you're awake," Wally spoke again, reiterating himself. The blonde smiled and relaxed into his arms, relishing the feel of his lips on her own. Something they'd both missed terribly during their parting.

"I'm not going to leave again," Artemis told him with finality, "I'm not going back there,"

Wally resisted the urge to grin abashedly and kiss his girlfriend senseless.

"No one is going to make you," He reassured her instead, relief rushing through his veins.

"I can't do it," She kept talking, "I don't want to lose myself. I don't want to leave you and I-,"

"Babe," Wally cut her off, wrapping his arms tightly around the blonde and pressing light kisses on the side of her face, "You're _safe_. No one is going to make you go _anywhere_," He lingered with his lips against her cheek, "And I believe in you, you would never lose yourself,"

Artemis sighed and let out a weak smile, her soul drained in mental exhaustion.

Neither one of them knew that the team, Batman, and J'onn had already come to the conclusion that Artemis was not to be going back undercover. That the Justice League was going to put pressure on the Light in order to push themselves into Kaldur's hands out of necessity.

Neither would have cared.

"I've missed you like _crazy_ Babe," Wally grinned, snuggling himself up to the archer's side, "Nelson doesn't know what to do with me, he keep whining at the door,"

"Poor _baby_," Artemis hummed, pulling him close and tucking his head into her collar so that she could run her hands through his hair, "I've missed you too Wally. Everything without is just so…" The words lingered on her tongue as she thought of the perfect descriptor, "_Bland_,"

Wally sighed and leaned his head up to greet Artemis's lips in a sweet kiss, "Babe, I don't really mind what we do with the rest of our lives, heroing or not. But can we agree that we'll do it together?"

"Yeah," Artemis spoke softly, a smile gracing her lips that brushed against the speedsters, "_Together_,"

* * *

**Thank you so much everyone for reading! I've loved all the reviews and would absolutely adore some to let me know how this last chapter worked out!**

**I'm hoping to have another short story up in the next week or so, but I've really been stuck on it so no promises!**

**Also, my rate of posting short stories is going to dwindle soon because I've started working on a very long multi-chapter Spitfire fic. **

**Thank you again! **

**_Love, Veg_**


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